Announcing Rich Yang as Reach’s Newest Venture Partner

Today we are excited to announce that Rich Yang will be joining Reach as a Venture Partner!

Founders and investors who have worked with Rich already know what he brings to the table: a rare quality to help leaders prioritize and make hard calls, paired with the empathy of someone who has made them himself. That credibility is backed by a broad, deep understanding of the markets we operate in. He has been a longtime friend and partner of Reach, mentoring our portfolio founders, and serving on Boards alongside us. Now we’re making it official.

As Rich puts it:

I’ve long admired the Reach team—not just for the caliber of people, but for their deep commitment to founders and the collaborative culture they’ve built together. Through my work with four Reach companies and nearly a decade of knowing Jennifer, I’ve seen that firsthand. I’m excited to deepen my partnership with Reach and help more exceptional founders build and scale.

Rich spent the early part of his career in leadership roles at Intuit and Visa before turning to the learning sector. He has served as co-CEO of Education.com and General Manager at IXL Learning, and President of Vertical Businesses and Corporate Development at Learneo (formerly Course Hero). Across these roles, he has helped companies grow and scale, navigate pivotal transitions, and build strong leadership teams.

That operational depth is what Reach venture partners bring to the founders we support. Rich joins Jim Lobdell, a venture partner for more than a decade. Jim is a former teacher, coach, and three-time founder of category leaders including History Alive! (TCI) and Challenge Success.

We’re fortunate to have a front-row seat to how Rich works with founders. As Martina Tam, CEO of Paper, notes:

Having both led and advised companies across edtech, Rich understands the intricacies of this industry in a way few people do. What sets him apart is his ability to see patterns others miss, challenge conventional thinking, and translate big-picture insights into practical guidance grounded in the realities of execution. He’s intellectually curious, commercially astute, and an invaluable thought partner to founders and CEOs. Reach is incredibly fortunate to have him.

Sara Mauskopf, CEO and co-founder of Winnie, adds:

Rich understands what it takes to build companies at scale. As a board member at Winnie, he’s helped us grow our childcare marketplace and build a sustainable business for the decades to come. Any founder would be lucky to have Rich in their corner.

That kind of tight-knit partnership is at the heart of how we operate. At Reach, our values lead with “Work in service of our founders.” Building a company is an immensely demanding and lonely journey, and we strive to be partners who founders trust. We bring a community around them, extend their networks, and provide one-on-one support. It’s the human side of venture capital, and there’s no shortcut around it. It’s not unusual for our team to attend founders’ weddings, celebrate the births of their children, and invest in their second startups.

When I arrived in Silicon Valley from Chicago in August 2000 without knowing anyone, remarkable founders and operators took the time to guide me. This pay-it-forward culture and generosity is easily one of Silicon Valley’s best qualities, and it’s the foundation of what we call The Reach Way. Rich carries that tradition forward.